[Hard Baseball]Autumn League Review Interview ② ~Vice Commander Ren Takegawa~ – Sports Hosei

Vice Admiral Ren Takekawa

–Looking back on this season
In the final culmination of the season, the team came in 3rd place with the aim of winning the championship, and personally, I didn’t even take a regular turn at bat, so I think it was a frustrating season for both the team and myself.

――In the spring, he appeared in the starting lineup, but in the fall, he started on the bench in many games, but fourth-year players Ryoya Yoshiyasu (4th grade = Osaka Toin) and Daiteru Suzuki (4th grade = Meitoku Gijuku) found themselves in similar situations. Have you talked to the players?
Yoshiyasu is the captain and I am the vice-captain, so I thought it was normal for the team to somehow find a way to win even if I didn’t play, so it didn’t matter if I couldn’t play or not, the team would win. I was thinking of contributing to the team to improve our chances even a little bit, and I think Yoshiyasu and Suzuki were thinking the same thing. When we were practicing indoors at night, Yoshiyasu and I used to talk like, “There’s definitely going to be a scene where we’ll be needed, so let’s prepare until then.” So I didn’t feel confused because I couldn’t come out. There wasn’t.

ーーHow did you feel when you went into your turn at bat when you came out as a pinch hitter?
I had never played in a game as a pinch hitter before in my baseball career, so it was quite difficult at first, but I felt that there was a gap between those who were playing in games and those who weren’t, so I wanted to play in games as a pinch hitter. From the moment the game starts, I’m on the bench feeling like I’m in the game, and I’m preparing to pinch hit.First, I’m on the bench feeling like I’m in the game, but in the second half, I’m just pinch hitting without really thinking about it. I kind of feel like that’s the part that came out of it.

–Since your first hit of the season against Waseda, you have hit in five consecutive games. Is there a reason behind this?
Even though I was a fourth-year student who hadn’t been on the bench since practice, everyone took the initiative to support the batting pitchers and assist with defensive practice, which helped me and the team prepare well for the game. I think I was able to put it in there.

–You hit your first home run in the league game in the first round of Tokyo University, but what do you think of the home run at Jingu?
I’ve always wanted to hit the ball someday, but I never thought I’d actually be able to hit the ball at the end, so I felt happy and everyone was happy when I came back to the bench, so I’m glad I was able to hit the ball.

–You have the impression that you hit a long ball, but this is your first time hitting a home run. What kind of ball were you aiming for in that at-bat?
Basically, when I was at bat, I was waiting for a straight fastball against any pitcher. In that at-bat, my batting count was three balls and one strike, and I was able to aim for a straight ball even if I got a few fouls or missed shots, and I think that’s what led to the home run.

–What happened to the home run ball?
Probably in the dormitory.

–I heard that you left the team due to an injury during practice. What was the situation like?
During batting practice, I was practicing as a runner, and the ball I hit hit my left eyebrow. (Are you okay now?) I feel like I’m managing to survive for quite some time now.

Q: You left in good shape, but how did you feel at the time?
I thought there was nothing I could do about winning, so I feel like I’m lucky.

–Did you know that during his absence, there were uniforms displayed on the bench and that players were using Takegawa’s equipment? Also, how did you feel when you found out?
I knew. Because it was displayed on his uniform, people thought he had died, so I received a lot of calls.

–How did you feel when you were watching the final game from the cheering seats?
It was my first time to watch a game while cheering from the infield, so I realized how many people were cheering for me in the final game, such as the cheering squad, and how many people were rooting for me. On the one hand, I was surprised, but on the other hand, I was disappointed that I couldn’t win even though there were so many people supporting me.

– 56 hits in total for the six universities, which one was the most impressive?
In the fall of my third year against Meiji, I made a come-from-behind hit over center field, and when I think about that at-bat now, I feel like it’s the most memorable. (The reason is) Personally, I don’t want to lose to Meiji, there are a lot of players I know, and I’ve been playing Meiji for four years thinking that they’re my number one rival, and some of them are seniors, and I lost to them. I was playing the game thinking I couldn’t afford to give up, so I think the fact that I was able to hit that one hit right in the middle of the match was valuable, so I think it was that turn at bat.

–He made his debut as a third-year student and did a great job. How were you when you were in 1st and 2nd grade?
To be honest, when I look back, I didn’t think I would be able to play, and I couldn’t have imagined that I would be playing in games as the mainstay of the team after my third year, so I’m okay with that. I think it has been a fulfilling four years.

–What are your memories of playing at Jingu for the first time?
During my first year, I practiced at Jingu all the time thinking that I wanted to play and participate in the league, so when it came time to play at Jingu, I was a little nervous, but I also liked the atmosphere of Jingu Stadium and the atmosphere of the six universities. I remember being overwhelmed by the atmosphere of the fans.

–What led you to practice with Mr. Ima (last year’s student coach)?
I wasn’t a particularly outstanding player, or rather, I wasn’t an outstanding player, so there were great players around me, and my seniors were also great, so I’m willing to give up a little, but I feel like I can’t do it. I was so depressed that I wasn’t serious about baseball, or rather I was running away from baseball, but there was a part of me that was turning my back on it. I don’t know if Mr. Isuma felt that way, but I think it started from something like, “Let’s go practice cheaply,” and it became an opportunity for him to reconsider the content of his practice.

–Are you still in touch?
I take it, sometimes. Not every time though. (What kind of communication have you received recently?) Since I wasn’t on the bench during the Meiji game, I was apparently being overtaken by the cameras quite a bit in my stand, and I received a call saying something along the lines of “You’ve been overtaken by the camera.”

–Looking back on those days, what kind of training did you do?
Basically, it’s like going to batting tea at night in that room. Personally, the thing that sticks out to me the most is that in front of the indoor practice field, there was a high school soccer field, or rather, a field, and there, in the pitch darkness, two people would practice practicing and talk about various things. That’s what impresses me the most.

–Looking back on the past four years, what stands out to you?
I think it was the last ball that hit me. It’s just recently.

–Thoughts on the two people drafted
(Shinoki) Kentaro (Team 4 = Kisarazu General) has been attracting attention since he was a freshman, or rather, in high school, and he is a player that I knew even before entering the school, and his goal was to be drafted first and become a professional player. My first year students decided to go to I’ve known him since then, so I think he’s disappointed, but when people around him see it, it doesn’t really matter, so I hope he takes that regret to heart and does his best in the professional world. That’s what I think. Yamashiro (Kotaro, K4 = Fukuoka Ohori) didn’t pitch when he was a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd year student, but I thought he had great potential and I always watched him, so now that he’s a 4th year student, I’ve realized his potential. By showing his true potential and getting to the point where he can enter the professional world, he has become a great player, both mentally and technically. I’ve been feeling this again recently.

–What are your thoughts on the assistant director?
Mr. Oshima said that when he was in his third year, he was allowed to tee up every morning, and there he learned a lot of things about batting, which really led to his results in his third and fourth years. I don’t think I would be where I am today without that training, so I’m really grateful for that. Also, since I was watching the players closely, I felt like I was being watched as well, so I was able to practice and train well, so I’m grateful to the coaches and managers who have been working together with me for the past four years. I think so. Mr. Takamura is only in his final year, but the way he interacts with the players and the way he interacts with them makes me think that he was a professional coach. I was able to talk without really thinking, so I think that was a huge plus for the team.

–Thoughts about your fellow fourth-year classmates and especially your close juniors
It was quite difficult for the fourth year students as their seniors told them they were already very close, and I think there are quite a lot of players who feel that way, but they had to produce results even though they were told they were strong and strong. Since it wasn’t, I’m thinking of reporting my own results and reviewing them in the future. I have high expectations for all of my juniors, or rather, I want them to do well and win.
Matsushita (Ayukan, 3rd grade = Toin Gakuen) is a junior who I have especially taken care of, so I don’t know what choice he will make, but I would like him to go to the professional world, or rather, he is a player who can be active in the professional world. I wonder what it is.

–Which players are you looking forward to next year?
Fukaya (Kenshiro, B2 = Tokai University Sagami) probably thinks a lot about baseball, or rather knows about it, so if Fukaya gets involved with the team, things will go in a good direction, and he himself will work hard from now on. I think he has to continue to improve, but I think he’s one of the players we want to work hard at, play in games, and be an asset to the team.

ーーI would like to especially thank my classmates.
I think Yoshiyasu has probably had a tough time this past year, and I couldn’t do anything in the end, so I left a lot of things to Yoshiyasu, so I don’t think he’s satisfied either as an individual or as a team. , I think it’s been a really tough year, so I want to be grateful.

–Who will take over as vice commander?
I’m not in a position to criticize the results, but I think there are also considerations for the team, which is made up of third-year students and below, and that Mr. Oshima and Mr. Takamura have their own ideas, so I think it’s okay to get the result that everyone put together.

–What are your goals in baseball for working adults?
I haven’t given up on being a professional player yet, so even when I enter the workforce, I want to be more committed to baseball than ever before, raise the level of my way of thinking, and master baseball to the best of my ability.

–What did you do and what do you want to do after retiring?
Next time my classmates and I will rent a cottage like that, so I’m looking forward to going there.

–To the fans who have supported us over the past four years
Thank you for your support over the past four years. Although we had been aiming for the championship for a long time, we were not able to win the championship, but the cheers of the people who supported us were a great strength to both the players and myself, so the juniors were able to achieve great results. I hope that you will continue to support Hosei.

(Interview: Yuka Miyashita)

Ren Takekawa
4th year, Faculty of Human Environment Born April 15, 2002
Born in Osaka Prefecture, Shiga Gakuen
178cm77kg・Right-handed shot
This season’s results: 8 games, 17 at bats, 6 hits, 4 RBIs, 1 home run, 6 walks, batting average .353
“Hodai’s reliable vice-captain, who has increased his opportunities to play as a pinch hitter and hit his first home run in the league game in the first round of Tokyo University, was forced to leave due to an accident during practice. Using the frustration and regret he experienced this season as a springboard, he goes wild in the world of adult baseball. ”

Photos of the baseball team are from the Sports Hosei Shimbun Association.Official InstagramIt is also published in Please take a look.

[List of interviews just before the fall league (will be updated as soon as they are released)]